Jimmy Kimmel and his wife, Molly McNearney, opened up about the fallout from the temporary suspension of Jimmy Kimmel Live! and how it affected their children.
In a recent episode of the We Can Do Hard Things podcast, McNearney, who is the co-head writer and executive producer of her husband’s late-night show, recalled the tense day ABC pulled Jimmy Kimmel Live! off the air following Kimmel’s controversial remarks about the death of conservative activist Charlie Kirk.
During a monologue, Kimmel said, “The MAGA gang [is] desperately trying to characterize this kid who murdered Charlie Kirk as anything other than one of them and doing everything they can to score political points from it.”
Federal Communications Commission Chairman Brendan Carr later condemned Kimmel during a podcast interview, accusing him of spreading misinformation about Kirk’s killer.
Several major affiliates, including Nexstar and Sinclair, criticized the program before ABC suspended it altogether.
Kimmel and McNearney recalled how they broke the news of the show’s suspension to their children.
“It occurred to me — oh boy, this is not going to be good. And Jimmy let them know. He said, ‘My show has been suspended,’” McNearney said.
Jimmy Kimmel and wife/executive producer/writer Molly McNearney claim they told their kids Trump suspended him. McNearney recalls, “our son asked if the president had done this, and, we looked at each other and we didn’t quite know how to answer that question.” Kimmel adds “I… pic.twitter.com/DEqUqroc5T
— Alex Christy (@alexchristy17) November 8, 2025
She continued, “Our daughter immediately burst into tears. And she said, ‘I’ll sell my Labubus.’”
Their son, she said, “asked if the president had done this.”
“We looked at each other, and we didn’t quite know how to answer that question,” McNearney said.
Kimmel added, “I think I said yes.”
McNearney confirmed, “We did. We actually both said yes at the exact same time. We said yes, he did.”
Kimmel said, “It’s certainly not an experience I had with my parents.”
Kirk’s widow, Erika Kirk, later revealed in an interview that she declined an offer from Sinclair Broadcast Group to force Kimmel’s show to provide a televised apology.
“I told them thank you, we received their note. This is not our issue. It’s not our mess,” she said. “If you want to say you’re sorry to someone who’s grieving, go right ahead. But if that’s not in your heart, then don’t do it. I don’t want it. I don’t need it.”
Also during the podcast, McNearney discussed how political divisions, particularly regarding President Donald Trump, have strained relationships with her relatives.
ERIKA KIRK REVEALS SINCLAIR EXECUTIVES QUIETLY OFFERED TO DEMAND JIMMY KIMMEL APOLOGY
“It hurts me so much because of the personal relationship I now have where my husband is out there fighting this man,” McNearney said. “To me, them voting for Trump is them not voting for my husband and me and our family.”
McNearney said she reached out to relatives before elections, sending emails urging them not to vote for Trump, but was met mostly with silence or “insane responses.”